Music-portfolio.



No. 677,972. Patented July 9,'l90l.

A. c. GARDNER. MUSIC PORTFOLIO.

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UNITED STATES PATENT ()FFIQE.

ARTHUR O. GARDNER, OF BROOKTON, MASSACHUSETTS.

MUSIC-PORTFOLIO.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent 1%. 677,972, dated July 9, 1901.

Application filed January 12, 1901- Serial No. 42,977. (No model.)

To allwhom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, ARTHUR C. GARDNER, a citizen of the United States, residing at BlOGk': ton, in the county of Plymouth and State of Massachusetts, have invented new and useful Improvements in Music-Portfolios, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to improvements in music-portfolios, and has for its object to provide an improved portfolio or holder particularly designed for musicians use in a form convenient for carrying about the person.

It has also for its object to provide a portfolio arranged and constructed to hold a stock of music-sheets from which the. piece to be played may be selected and transferred to.

another part of the portfolio and there supported while being played and provided also with a receptacle for the reception of pieces of music which have been played and with means whereby it may be readily closed and held closed in inclement weather to protect the sheets of music stored therein, said means for holding the portfolio closed serving also as a means for supporting the sheet of music to be played, whereby in open-air playing in rainy weather that piece of music only which. is being actually played is exposed to the inclemency of the weather, the reserve stock being housed within and protected by the With these objects in view my invention resides in a music-sheet portfolio or holder constructed and arranged as hereinafter set forth, and illustrated in the drawings.

That which I regard as my invention will be set forth in the clauses of claim appended to this specification.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a view of the portfolio open, with a stock of music-sheets shown in dotted lines in the lefthand receiver or pocket and a piece of music to be played supported at the right-hand side of the portfolio. Fig. 2 is a plan View of the portfolio closed. Fig. 3 is a View of the portfolio in closed position with a sheet of music supported by the means which holds the portfolio closed, the reserve stock of music being housed within and protected by the portfolio.

In the said drawings the reference numerals 1 2 indicate the two leaves composing the portfolio, which may be of pasteboard or other suitable materialcovered with a water proof material of sufficient strength to withstand wear and usage. These leaves. of the book are joined together by a flexible connection 3, which may consist of the waterproof covering material, so that the leaves maybe folded toget-her face to face, as when the portfolio may be closed or isopened out, as shown in Fig. 1 of the drawings. The said leaves are provided with open pockets or receivers 4 5, arranged along their lower portion, as shown, the said receivers or pockets opening toward the top edges of the leaves. These pockets are designed to receive and hold a stock of music-sheets, the pocket of the left-hand leaf 1 being intended for the reserve stock of sheets of music and that of the right hand leaf 2 for the sheets of music which have been played. If desired, the lefthand leaf may be provided yvith an elastic band 6, extending across its face near the top edge to engage the upper portions of the music-sheet and hold them against the face of the leaf. I do not regard this elastic band as essential, however, and it may be omitted, as the pocket 4 is of sufficient depth to securely hold the stock of music-sheets.

The right-hand leaf 2 of the portfolio is provided with sheet-supporting devices on its inner and outer faces, these devices preferably being in the form of an endless elastic band 6, arranged across the face of the leaf near the upper end, said band passing through perforations 7, formed at or near the upper corners of the leaf and constituting means for supporting the sheet of music to be played either against the inner face of the leaf, as shown in dotted lines in Fig. 1, or against the outerface of the opposite lea-f when the portfolio is closed in inclement weather to protect the stock of music-sheets, leaving exposed only that sheet Which is being played, as illustrated in Fig. 3 of the drawings,and at the same time constituting the means by which the portfolio leaves are held closed against each other, this being accomplished by folding over on the outer face'of the lefthand leaf 1 that portion of the elastic endless band which normally lies against the outer face of the right-hand leaf 2, said portion hugging the exposed sheet and holding it securely in position to be played and at the same time holding the two leaves of the portfoliovclosed' together face to face to protect and house the music-sheets contained therein. I prefer also to provide perforations 8 at the outer vertical edges of the leaves, through which a ribbon or other suitable fastening means may pass to hold the leaves of the portfolio closed when not in actual use by the musician.

In the example of my invention shown in the drawings the pockets 4 5 are formed by a surplus ofthe covering of the leaves 1 2, such surplus being folded up against the inner faces of said leaves and suitably stitched thereto, which may be the same stitches or fastening means which connect the covering material to the leaves.

The portfolio may be constructed of any ma terial suitable therefor and be of different sizes to accommodate the particular size of sheets of music.

My invention provides a very cheap and useful portfolio for musicians use which is of novel construction, convenient to be carried about by the musician, and which is adapted for all the needs of holding a reserve stock of music-sheets, having a separate receivingpochet for those sheets which have been played and means for supporting the sheet of music to be played, either against the inner face of oneof the leaves or against the outer face thereof or against the other face of the opposite leaf when the portfolio is closed, said supporting means also constituting the means by which the portfolio is held closed and whereby the reserve stock of music-sheets is protected and housed during inclement weather, leaving exposed only that sheet of music which is being played.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim is- 1. In a music-sheet portfolio, the combination of two leaves flexibly connected together, one of said leaves provided along its lower inner face with a pocket for containing and holding sheets of music, said pocket opening toward the top edge of the leaf, a sheet-supporting band secured to said leaf and extending across the inner face thereof above the pocket-opening, and a sheet-supporting band extending across the outer face of the leaf near the top edge thereof, said last-named sheet-supporting band being adapted to be passed over and against the face of the opposite leaf for the purpose of supporting a sheet of music there and at the same time hold the leaves of the portfolio closed face to face to protect the contained sheets of music, substantially as described.

2. In a music-sheet portfolio, the combination of two leaves flexiblyconnected together, one of said leaves provided along its inner lower face with a pocket for containing and holding sheets of music, said pocket opening toward the top edge of the leaf, and an endless band passing through perforations formed in the leaf and extending across the inner and outer faces of said leaf near its top edge above the pocket-opening, whereby it is adapted to support a sheet of music to be played either against the inner face or outer face of the leaf and also to be passed over against the outer face of the opposite leaf and thus serve to hold the portfolio-leaves closed face to face and support a sheet of music exposed on the outer face of the portfolio, substantially as described.

3. In a music-sheet portfolio, the combination of two leaves flexibly connected together and provided along their inner lower faces with pockets for containing and holding i sheets of music, said pockets opening toward the top edges of the leaves, one of said leaves provided with an endless band passing through perforations therein and extending across the inner and outer faces of said leaf 2 near its top edge, whereby it is adapted to support a sheet of music to be played either against the inner or outer face of the leaf and also to be passed over against the outer face of the opposite leaf and thus serve to hold the portfolio-leaves closed face to face and support a sheet of music exposed on the outer face of the portfolio, substantially as described.

4. In a music-sheet portfolio, the combination of two leaves flexibly connected together and provided along their lower faces with pockets for containing and holding sheets of music, said pockets opening toward the top edges of the leaves, one of said leaves provided with a sheet-supporting band extending across its inner face and a sheet-supporting band extending across its outer. face near the top edge of the leaf, said outer sheet-supporting band being adapted to be passed over and against the face of the opposite leaf for the purpose of supporting a sheet of music there and at the same time hold the leaves of the portfolio closed face to face to protect the contained sheets of music, substantially as described.

Intestimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand in presence of two subscribing witnesses.

ARTHUR O. GARDNER.

Witnesses:

JAMES BONNER, ARTHUR L. Riel-I. 

